CORRECTION: It seems that, contrary to the Daily Mail report, Rev Moon did not himself attend the meeting in Parliament, although Mrs Moon and family members were present. Rev Moon instead spoke at the Hilton Metropole. Details in update below.

This week the Unification Church leader flew into Britain with his son as part of a three-week tour of Europe. It is only the second trip that the preacher has made to the UK since a Home Office ban on his entry was lifted in 2005.

At the church’s headquarters off Lancaster Gate in London there is a flurry of activity as congregants prepare for the new arrivals. The Reverend Moon is staying at a nearby hotel, preparing for a speech and Mrs Moon is visiting the House of Commons at the invitation of David Anderson MP and Labour peer Lord King…

Sun Myung Moon, the head of the Unification Church, will be in the heart of the Palace of Westminster, thanks to his sponsor, Labour MP Dave Anderson, who has booked committee room No?14 for a conference on world peace.

Anderson “has booked committee room No 14 for a conference on world peace”.

Anderson and King have both facilitated Moon-linked events in Parliament before: in January 2010 King hosted a “Genocide Awareness and Holocaust Commemoration” in a House of Lords Committee Room for Rev Moon’s Universal Peace Federation (UPF), and in 2008 a committee room was used for a “Plenary Session of the International Leadership Conference”, which complemented a Unification Church-backed Global Peace Festival in London’s Docklands. The session was opened Anderson and involved Moon’s son Hyun-Jin Moon, known as Preston Moon; attendees included Amjad Al Majid (a Jordanian MP), Ahmad Tejan Kabbah (a former president of Sierra Leone, where Moon has increasing influence), Anton Rop (a former Prime Minister of Slovenia), Ida Betty Odinga (Chair of the League of Kenya Women Voters and wife of Raila Odinga), and Marcus Braybrooke (World Congress of Faiths). The Georgian Times added the detail that “Dalila Khorava, the Minister of Healthcare of autonomous republic of Abkhazia” was also planning to attend.

Anderson and King were also involved in an event in London the year before:

…MP Dave Anderson, himself a former trade unionist, implored people to stand up for what they believe and suggested that such a melting pot of participants would ultimately be instrumental in bringing about a more harmonious world.

…Following a welcome from Lord King of West Bromwich, the 43-year-old Dr. Moon Junior, who spoke English with an American accent, described the festival’s origins as being the result of a young country boy who many years ago had prayed for such unity whilst on a Korean mountainside.

“And that country boy was my father, the Reverend Sun Myung Moon,” he said.

Anderson is also part of an international circuit of speakers at events organised by the UPF: in 2008 he took part in a Global Peace Festival in Kenya.

In 2010, King presented “Ambassador for Peace” award certificates, signed by Rev Moon, to a number of individuals, including the Liberal Democrat MP Tom Brake; in 2008 Brake also took part in the 2008 London Global Peace Festival, although he told the Guardianthat he didn’t “see eye to eye” with the church’s views and that taking part would give him “an opportunity to challenge what Rev Moon advocates”. By accepting a certificate signed by Rev Moon two years later, one might almost be tempted to wonder whether a senior Lib Dem politician might not have consistent political principles.

Preston Moon stepped down from leadership of the UPF late in 2009, and this time Rev Moon has come to London with another son, Hyung Jin (also known as Sean Moon); Preston’s disputes with his family were noted by the Washington Postlast September.

So what will happen when Rev Moon enters the Parliamentary committee room? Back in 2004, US Senators who went to see him at the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington DC famously found themselves taking part in a bizarre coronation ceremony in which Moon, wearing maroon regal robes, was crowned “King of Peace”. Probably, though, he’ll just give a speech. What could go wrong?

The third day began with a special event in the Houses of Parliament. Mother Moon was the honored guest of Lord Tarsem King of West Bromwich, who led a tour of the impressive public rooms and the Chamber where the Queen opens Parliament and the members of the House of Lords meet to debate legislation.

By 10:45 am they entered the largest Committee Room in the House of Commons, overlooking the Thames, for a gathering organized by Member of Parliament Dave Anderson, who has supported the work of UPF from the Middle East Peace Initiative to proposals to launch a low-cost housing project. In his speech he reported how pressure had been brought to bear on him to try and prevent the meeting:

“I will be very clear, because there have been attempts in the past 24 hours to attack the UPF for what they are trying to do here. I am not, never have been and probably never will be a member of the UPF. I don’t support its political or religious philosophy or believe that the only way of peace is through God, but what I do believe is that it will be one way for some people to support peace, and I believe that that is good thing. I believe that if other people with responsibility in the press and the media and other parts of this country were at least to say what is true, to reach out to people, find and build peace through dialogue, through listening to people and not through attacking people, that this would be only for the good. I believe that is the responsibility of people who genuinely want to find a light for the future. You all know as well as I do the tensions that are in the world today, the only answer is when people of good faith come together and start to find the way forward.”

Next spoke Liberal Democrat MP Tom Brake, who has responsibility in government for “the whole agenda of community cohesion, in other words faith communities in the UK, working together to identify common ground, and common purpose, and get an understanding of where they stand on different issues, and perhaps dispelling some of the myths that exist around the different religions.” Hence the reason for his presence at the meeting to support the work that UPF is doing through interracial and interfaith dialogue. He wished UPF well for its further development, to make sure that we have stronger working relationships between the faiths, at a time that this is so much needed nationally and internationally.

A welcome address was also given by Lord King, the Patron of UPF in the UK and the first representative of the Sikh faith to become a member of the House of Lords:

“Father Moon has worked all his life to create peaceful situations. The sooner we realize and take advantage of the teaching of the Rev. Moon, the better off we will be. Dr. Moon is very special, and I think he has a unique vision in the world to influence for good what is happening. If the slogan One Family under God really takes off, we will avoid the difficulties that we are going through now.”

At the Hilton, meanwhile:

A water ceremony was conducted by representatives of the faith traditions of Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Sikhism, Buddhism, and Hinduism. Each spoke (or chanted) to share their understanding of the importance of water in their respective traditions, in particular its symbolism of healing and cleansing, a goal shared by all the faith traditions, as was expressed symbolically by each pouring water into a common large vessel.

Participants included Mr. Edwin Shuker, Vice-President of the World Sephardic [Jewish] Congress, who has attended a UPF International Leadership Conference in Seoul, and Anton Rop. There was also “a young male duet from the Lovin’ Life Ministries of Rev. In Jin Moon”:

They performed a new song entitled “Sailing Ships,” followed by a classic romantic ballad from the 1970s entitled “She,” exquisitely performed in a more modern setting.

The entertainment also included Rev Moon demonstrating “his dexterity catching sweets in his own mouth and downing a cup of tea in a single sip”.

10 Responses

US Senators who went to see him at the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington DC famously found themselves taking part in a bizarre coronation ceremony in which Moon, wearing maroon regal robes, was crowned “King of Peace”.

In my hitch hiking days, I was picked up (or perhaps targetted for a lift) by a Unification Church member, and spent over two hours being subjected to what was clearly a highly tutored attempt to convert me. But then this is the same church who sued a British national newspaper for accusing them of ‘brain washing’ – and lost. My personal opinion is that they are the religious equivalent to the Borg.

Typically you all have missed the point; Rev. Moon is actually someone of standing: because he is actually mentioned in the Gospel as that figure called the “faithful and Wise Steward”; the one entrusted with the Church and divine knowledge of it’s affairs until his Lord; at the Day and the Hour returns: and in which he is supposed to be watching. This means Rev. Moon actually is a prophetic figure from the Bible! Wow; but: what does this mean?

Rev. Moon thus now unfortunately (for himself) stands in the position mentioned of that “evil servant” in Matthew as “and if; and when; that evil servant shall say in his heart: ‘My Lord delays his coming…’ and shall begin to BEAT the maidservants and menservants; and to eat and drink with the drunken: the Lord of that servant will come in a Day in which he looketh not for him: and at an Hour in which he is not aware…and cut him in sunder; and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers…..”

This is; in fact; what has happened: note that I used a word very different from the ones you all use: “fact”, as the “meat in due season” this figure provides christians in these last days to digest and reach their own conclusion about in the parable turns out to be the material in the book “Divine Principle” Moon wrote and no one outside of the church ever read: except me.

Well; now you can go back to sneering and snickering; and maybe: wondering: don’t cry for the dead antichrist Osama bin Laden; get ready for the dabbat al-ard: the one whose voice you hear at this: the Last Day……..”Ta” mates…..

Here’s where Osama bin Laden was identified long before he was born, and how his coming along with the apostasy of Islam with so many who fell for his Mahdism spells it out in harsh relief:

“Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,

2That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.

3Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;

4Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the House of God, shewing himself that he is God.”

Now in my book I point out that Osama bin Laden first

judged the West; spiritually using the Qur’an as his justification
sitting on the throne of Mecca : as the House of God; and then,

as if he were God:
carried OUT his “judgment”;

thus earning himself the adoration of all who hate their brother and thus live in darkness: and this was the Antichrist: Osama bin Laden; who tried to start World War III as Japan did with the US at World War II by it’s own sneak attack at Pearl Harbor.

By the way: scripture is not something that is understood apparently in Great Britan by the calibre of the remarks here I have so far read: small minded and provincial; yes; insightful and profound: no

I await more of your wretched and woeful arrogance couched in neo-script argot signifying zero; loudly trumpeted for full effect; of course.

Why the outrage? If the government invites the Pope from Rome, it has to invite the Reverend Moon. You can’t play favourites. Of course, if you would actually stop inviting deluded nitwits all together, we might make some progress…

Dear Sir: With reference to the Peace Cup scheduled in July this summer, I have written a report on the UC on the forum of Benfica Planet.
I would like to hear your comments if you please.
Today I was informed by the webmaster of Villa Talk, that a similar piece was banned from the forum, and I have asked for an explanation.
Perhaps you will have an idea why Aston Villa does not want to publish anything negative on the UC.
I was astonished to learn from you that the Moon Family was granted to present a speach at the House of Commons, when you realize that Mr. Paul Rose was the president of FAIR in the seventies, whom I visited at the House in 1978. I am looking forward to further correspondence with you in the future. Greetings from Holland by the moonwatcher.

I am pleased to have your attention for an article I wrote on the forum of the Benfica Planet entitled: “Benfica invited to play for Reverend Moon in the Peace Cup 2011”. A similar posting on the Peace Cup tournament and its founder was refused and banned from the Villa Talk Forum of Aston Villa, the proud winner of the games in 2009. As the moonwatcher from the Netherlands I have been reading up and investigating the korean church since the first sensational newspaper reports on the UC were published in Amsterdam, London, and Paris.
In 1980 my first book on Cults in Holland reached 20.000 copies and right now I am in the process of writing a special book on the life and ideology of the UC for the market in the UK, USA, Germany, and Holland.
I am looking forward to your comments. Best regards, your moonwatcher.

Did some very reverend Archbishop have to get-up early just so that the “SUN” could shine both in West Bromwich AND in the House of Commons on the same day or did somebody pull rank & get the “SUN” not to go down in West Bromwich while it was never setting on the rest of the mighty & benevolent British Empire…

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